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But while he got through the service unscathed one of the Garter Knights apparently tripped and fell over after the service.

Former Conservative foreign secretary Lord Carrington ended up sat down on the ground after his tumble but Anne and another Garter Knight were on hand to help him to his feet.

As the public part of the ceremony began, the monarch and members of the Royal Family did not let a brief shower spoil the day, although The Duchess of Cornwall was notable absent after suffering sinusitis.

When the procession of Garter Knights began through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George's Chapel, a light rain began to fall.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the end of the service (David Rose)

The Duchess of Cambridge, who wore a sky blue coat by Christopher Kane and hat by Lock & Co, sheltered out of the downpour in the chapel's Galilee Porch.

The Duchess stood with the Countess of Wessex and they watched as the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of York, Earl of Wessex and other Garter Knights walked by wearing their blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes.

The two young pages of honour held the Queen's long train off the ground as she walked past more than 7,000 spectators.

The Duchess of Cornwall was due to join the royal party but earlier Clarence House said she would miss the event after developing sinusitis.

A Clarence House spokesman said: ''The Duchess has been advised by doctors to rest having had a heavy cold which has turned into sinusitis. She very much hopes to attend Ascot tomorrow.''

The Queen walks during the Order of the Garter procession (Reuters)

The Order of the Garter service is an important day in the royal calendar when Garter knights celebrate the ancient order. The Queen is its sovereign and a number of other British and foreign royals are additional knights of the order.

New appointments are announced on St George's Day but the chivalric and installation ceremonies take place on the Monday of Royal Ascot week, known as Garter Day.

Two new members of the order - Mervyn King, the former governor of the Bank of England and now a Knight Companion, and Eliza Manningham-Buller, ex-head of MI5 and a Lady Companion - were formally invested with their honours by the Queen in the Castle's Garter throne room.

Later during the service in St George's Chapel, Baron King of Lothbury, who was governor of the Bank of England for 10 years until 2013, was installed along with Baroness Manningham-Buller, director-general of Britain's internal Security Service, known as MI5, from October 2002 until her retirement in April 2007.

Recipients of the honour are chosen because they have held public office, contributed to national life or served the sovereign personally.

The appointment of Knights of the Garter is in the Queen's gift and is made without consulting ministers.

After the service the senior members of the Royal Family travelled by carriage from St George's Chapel up the hill to Windsor Castle.

They drove past squadrons of the Household Cavalry's Life Guards and Blues and Royals who lined the route.

Among the crowds of 7,000 invited to watch the procession inside the castle grounds was Kaz Aston, 40, from Windsor who runs charity website Monarchy Online.

She said: "This is the seventh time I have been, I come every year with a group of supporters of the charity. It get's better every time.

"It's got particularly exciting in the past few years with William and Kate.

"We missed her last year when she was pregnant but everyone was screaming loudly for Prince William.